Genetics
by Kate1013
Summary: She knew she shouldn’t have touched it. Previously a One Shot.
1. Chapter 1

She knew she shouldn't have touched it.

Rule number one – you don't leave anyone behind. Rule number two – don't touch anything.

To be fair, she really didn't think anything could happen. She merely wanted to look at the writing on the object, run her fingers through the grooves on the engraving that had been etched into its surface millennia ago.

She hadn't expected anything to happen. And from the look on everyone else's faces, they hadn't either.

"I didn't know that you'd been given the Ancients' gene," Rodney said, a hint of surprise in his voice.

Sam looked from his face, to that of Colonel Sheppard's, a frown knitting the second man's eyebrows together. "It didn't do that when I touched it..."

Sam watched as John picked up the Ancient device, a square box that had simply folded out on itself the moment that she'd touched it, and peered inside.

Sam couldn't bring herself to care about what resided inside the trinket that they'd discovered in a remote part of the city. All she could hear were the words of the doctor many years ago. _'I'm sorry, Colonel, but given your genetic make-up... the naquadah in your blood – it's hard to say how it will react to the gene therapy. I'd advise against it at this point...' _

That only left her with one other explanation.

"Oh crap!"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm not sure if this is what some of you were expecting, but it's here: the ending , of sorts, to Genetics. I'll be posting a few more chapters sporadically until the last one is up. Reviews are welcome! :)

* * *

"Colonel, you're not making much sense..."

Standing in Doctor Keller's office, Sam closed her eyes briefly, her fingers gripping the small bottle in her hands. She took a deep breath and looked up at the woman before her.

"You're telling me you have magically acquired the Ancient's gene and now you want me to test your urine?"

"Not magically no..." She bit her lip. "More like the old fashioned way... if you will." Sam cringed – she was even sounding like him now! This was bad, really bad...

"Old fashioned way?" Jennifer asked, her voice taking on a sing-song tone.

"I'm... seeing someone... someone who has the Ancient gene..."

Sam waited for a few beats, seeing the young doctor's expression change from one of confusion to finally understanding. "Oh...oh!"

Sam felt her face blush and she cringed again.

"When was the last time-?"

"A few months ago, when I was back on Earth, he'd arranged this romantic evening-"

"I meant," Jennifer said sternly, cutting Sam off, "When was the last time you had your period?"

"Oh!" Sam watched an eyebrow slowly rise up. "Er... a few weeks before that... I just thought it was stress," she added, realising that it was kind of stupid for an intelligent woman to not even notice these things.

Jennifer nodded, "Understandable..."

Sam merely bit her lip again and stuck out the bottle.

"Right!"


	3. Chapter 3

Sam felt the hand rest on her shoulder and finally lifted her head from her hands. She looked up to see Jennifer looking down at her with a mixture of admiration and sympathy.

"Want to talk about it?" The doctor asked, sitting down on the chair beside her.

Sam shook her head and resisted the urge to hide her face again. "I'm sorry," she stuttered, "This is... just...." She sighed and tipped her head back, leaning back against the wall with her eyes closed. "This is just unexpected."

"The Lord works in mysterious ways..." Sam pried an eye open and peered over at her companion. "Or so my Grandmother used to tell me..." Jennifer added.

"Are you religious?" Sam asked, both eyes now open.

"No," Jennifer shook her head. "Are you?"

Sam also shook hers and let out a big sigh, "No..." She chewed on her lip. "Did you always want to be a doctor?" She asked suddenly, changing the subject.

She watched as a puzzled expression formed upon Jennifer's face and couldn't help but smile. "Since I was a kid," Jennifer replied.

"Me too," Sam admitted. "Well, I wanted to be an astronaut I mean, not a doctor. Well not that kind, anyway. I always wanted to go out into space and study the stars. I read every book on science and the moon landings that I could find!" Sam half laughed at herself and the excitement that could be heard in her own voice, and shook her head sadly. "My friends were always into dolls and make up and boys..."

"I don't think that's anything to be ashamed of... " Jennifer added softly.

"No," Sam agreed, "But what most people don't realise, is that girls like you and me, despite being career focussed and eager to learn, we still dream of the other stuff too..."

A small smile emerged on Jennifer's lips. "You mean, the white wedding, followed by lots of kids?"

Sam snorted. "Sounds stupid doesn't it?"

Jennifer simply stared at her commander. "Not at all," She said softly.

"It does," Sam argued. "I mean, it wasn't until I got older that I realised how the real world works and that to get anything in life, you have to work hard and earn it-"

"Don't say you haven't earned this!" Jennifer waved a finger in the air in Sam's direction. "You're a high profile commander who's fought many wars and who has saved the lives of millions several times over-"

"That's just it!" Sam cried, launching herself onto her feet. "I'm a commander! Of a military base in another God damn galaxy!"

"So what?! That doesn't mean that you can't have a child or a family!"

"There are life-sucking aliens out there!"

The doctor had stood up on her own feet and the two women now stood staring at each other in the enclosed room. Sam could feel tears welling up in her eyes and she blinked them back, turning herself away before Jennifer could see.

"Nothing is turning out as I planned..." Sam uttered, sounding defeated. She sat back down on the chair against the wall and sighed.

"You had a plan?" Jennifer asked casually, a hint of a smile in her voice.

"Not really, no," Sam groaned. She looked up as Jennifer came to sit back down beside her again, and the two of them shared a smile. "I just thought..." she sighed, "I just thought I'd get married first, you know? Before all this..." she waved her hand in the air, gesturing at herself. "God, we haven't even had this conversation!" Sam cradled her head in her hands again and closed her eyes.

"What's his name?" Jennifer asked, "The father?"

Sam let out a shaky breath, "Jack..." She watched the doctor tilt her head, deep in thought. She was quite clearly going through the names of the people on base. Sam couldn't help but smile at the thought. "He's back on Earth," she said, putting Jennifer out of her misery.

"Oh..." an embarrassed smile crept onto her face, "It's just when you mentioned the Ancient gene, I just assumed..."

"I know."

"Oh..."

Sam smiled. "We've been in a long distance relationship for almost three years now..." She looked up from the hands clasped in her lap. "Which is why this whole thing is even harder. We haven't even lived together long term yet, let alone talk about getting married or having children..."

"What does he do?" Slightly shocked at the question, Sam looked up into Jennifer's eyes. The doctor simply shrugged, "I figured it must be pretty important for you both to spend so much time apart..."

Sam merely nodded, "He knows where I am, if that's what you're asking?"

Jennifer quirked her lips. "Not going to give anything away, huh?"

A small laugh escaped from Sam's mouth, "Trust me, its better this way..."

"For who?"

"Both of us," Sam said simply. "It's a long story..." Jennifer tilted her head in question. "We didn't bank on me being in a different galaxy, let's put it that way..." Sam looked up at the young woman before her, knowing she should probably say more and yet unable to. "I'm sorry – I know I'm not making much sense..."

Jennifer simply smiled, "Sense? Nah, you're making perfect sense..."

Sam raised an eyebrow in concern, causing Jennifer to shrug her shoulders.

"Let me see... You've worked hard at your career; assumed you'd lead a normal military life; meet some guy of your dreams and settle down, get married and have some kids... Instead you get drawn into the Stargate program; spend your time fighting aliens; fall in love with someone, who right now I'm assuming you wasn't supposed to; get shipped off to another galaxy and get yourself pregnant because, well, let's face it, being away from someone you love for that amount of time sucks big time!"

Sam could only open and close her mouth like a goldfish.

"It's perfectly natural to be confused."

"You're telling me..."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm writing in a different way to which I am normally comfortable with, so I'm glad for the good responses. For those who asked, here is Jack... :) I would have posted sooner but I've been experiencing technical difficulties... alas... enjoy!

* * *

"W-w-w...." The faint noise passed Jack's lips and Sam simply stared at him as he turned around on the spot a few times and then ran a hand through his hair.

She'd managed to keep a good grip on everything as she'd handed over temporary command of Atlantis to John Sheppard; dodged her friends at the SGC and somehow fell asleep on the plane ride to Washington DC which spared her the agony of running the words over in her mind.

But when she'd arrived at Jack's place and surprised him, panic had engulfed her and she'd blurted the words out before she even knew what was happening.

Jack finally stopped pacing and stared her in the eyes, trying to gauge her own reaction before he felt able to continue. "Wow..." The words finally emerged from his lips, followed by a faint smile. "This is good... isn't it?"

"I..." Sam's mouth hung open like a goldfish.

"Sam?"

"I'm freaking out!" She cried. She took a step away from him and began walking back and forth on the other side of the room. "I mean we haven't even talked about this! Or marriage-"

"You want to get married?" Jack squeaked, his eyes growing even wider than before.

"Yes! No! I don't know..." She shook her head and momentarily closed her eyes. "This isn't about getting married..." She sighed, her voice somewhat returning to normal. "How can you be so calm?" She asked.

"What?"

"I tell you that I'm pregnant and all you do is run a hand through your hair like I've just explained wormhole physics to you again!"

"I'm pretty sure this is down to biology, Carter, not physics..."

She picked up a cushion from the sofa and threw it at him.

Jack dodged it and, picking it up from the floor, placed it back where she'd found it. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards her and took a hold of her hands. "Sam..." He gazed into her eyes and watched as she deflated before him.

"We live in different galaxies, Jack..." Her voice had suddenly grown small.

"I _know_."

"I command people to kill _aliens_..."

"You do."

"And it's one of the best jobs I've _ever_ had..."

He inched closer. "We'll figure something out."

She allowed his forehead to rest on hers. "Like what?" She whispered back.

Jack simply shrugged. "How many times have we had to come up with a plan B?"

Sam bit her lip in response and Jack nudged her when she didn't answer. "Almost always..." She sighed.

"And how many times did it work?"

"Almost always..." she replied again.

A moment of silence stretched out between the two of them, while they simply stood huddled together. The hands that had circled her waist and claimed Sam's back suddenly stopped moving and she felt a sudden rush of air hit her neck.

Sam pulled back to see Jack chuckling.

"We're going to have a baby..." He said, a big grin on his face.

Sam couldn't help it. The smile on his lips was infectious, and before long she found herself grinning back at him. She hooked her arms around his neck. "I know..."

He pulled her closer. "Now kiss me before_ I_ start to freak out..."

Sam's rumble of laughter was promptly swallowed by his lips claiming hers.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Jack was standing beside her at the bottom of the ramp in the gate room, a tender look on his face. He'd never said goodbye to her like this before, always saving their embrace for empty guest quarters, Landry's office or a supply closet or two.

Sam especially liked the supply closets.

Jack's expression mirrored the emotions running through her own body right now.

Their conversation with the President had been enlightening to say the least. He had explained the situation as it stood, without the implications of the news she gave him, and both her and Jack's immediate reaction had been anger. The President's chuckle at their dual exclaim of 'for crying out loud!' hadn't helped much either.

But as she'd listened to him she began to realise the truth of his words, and a tingling feeling of anticipation had begun working its way through her body.

The IOA had been planning to relieve her of command in a few months anyway, when her year was up. Though angry that this had secretly been brewing in the background, she had to admit that in some weird twist of fate, it solved their dilemma.

In a few months she would begin to show, and by then she would be handing Atlantis over to someone else anyway. She could spill the beans now, or keep quiet. The President was strangely willing to turn a blind eye. Both her and Jack had been kept in the dark, why shouldn't they do the same to the IOA? Sam's initial confusion gave way. She really shouldn't have been surprised. A large part of his job was trading secrets after all.

In the gate room, she turned to say goodbye and found herself engulfed within Jack's arms. Returning his fierce hug, she pulled back with a grin on her face and planted a kiss on his lips. With a quick squeeze of his hand, she turned and sauntered up the steps and disappeared into the wormhole.

In Atlantis, she was greeted by one Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard. A beaming smile was on his face, his hands clasped behind his back, and his body rocking backwards and forwards on his heels.

"Welcome back Colonel," He cooed.

Sam couldn't escape the relieved expression on his face, and wondered silently, how long it would be before she felt compelled to share her secrets.


	6. Chapter 6

Within 24 hours she had her answer.

She was sitting in her office, sorting through some paperwork and talking to John at the same time.

"So how was your trip?" He asked. "Get everything sorted?"

Sam frowned but didn't take her eyes off of the page in front of her. "Uh-hu." They both knew she wasn't really paying attention.

"So... the President is some sort of relative?"

Sam suddenly looked up from the pile of papers in her hand. Before she had left, she had given John some spiel about a family emergency back on Earth. Arriving back at the SGC after her trip to DC, she had unwillingly bumped into Daniel and Cam. Her excuse for why she hadn't mentioned her visit, an impromptu meeting with the President, hadn't _really_ been a lie either.

She was stupid to think that the team members at the SGC wouldn't talk to the team members at Atlantis.

Sam dropped her pen onto the file in front of her and sighed. "I did have some family matters to attend to," She said, "But yes, I also had a meeting with the President."

"About that artefact we found?"

"No... Well not exactly..."

John watched as Sam tilted her head and screwed up her nose – a habit he was beginning to recognise and fully interpret. "You know what it does, don't you?"

"No," Sam shook her head, "Actually I don't." They looked each other in the eye for a moment. "Isn't that what I ordered Rodney to do? Work out what it does?"

A split second passed before John nodded his head. "I guess..."

Sam sighed again. She knew John wouldn't be satisfied with the scraps she was feeding him.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the klaxon went off and Chuck's voice could be heard loudly over the speakers. "Unscheduled off world activation!"

Sam was on her feet in seconds, joining John as they jogged from her office to the control room. "IDC?"

"It's the midway station, Ma'am."

She nodded her head at Chuck, "Open it up."

"Colonel Carter," Came Doctor Lee's Voice, "I'm sending someone through upon the request of the President."

"The President?" John's voice diverted Sam's gaze, and the voice transmission cut out before she could even form a response.

The shield deactivated and Sam glanced down at the gate room. Within seconds a figure stepped through.

Sam was grinning even before he caught her eye, and before she was aware of what she was doing, her legs had begun sweeping her down the stairs.

She came to a stop a few feet before him, John hot on her heels. A grin was still plastered on her face and she held a burning question in her eyes.

"Seeing as the current threat to Earth is in the Pegasus galaxy, the President thought a more 'hands on' approach with regards to Homeworld Security, might be necessary..." Jack removed his hat and ran his fingers over the rim, the rest of his dress blues sitting crisply on his toned frame. He raised his eyebrows at her and she felt herself visibly relax. "He's requested that I remain here and observe for a week or so...."

Sam couldn't help it. A somewhat nervous laugh escaped her lips. "You're kidding?" She asked, her own eyebrows rising.

Jack simply grinned at her. "Nope!"

John shifted uncomfortably beside her. "Er... does this have something to do with the ancient artefacts we found?"

Jack spared a glance at Sam before answering John's question, "Actually, yes it does..."

Sam raised an eyebrow in Jack's direction, astutely ignoring the other man's gaze.

"The President thinks I might be able to help..." Jack waved a hand in the air, "Figure out what it is that they do exactly..."

"I see..." John narrowed his eyes at them both, clearly not 'seeing' it at all. Sam simply shrugged at him, before glancing over at Jack, one eyebrow raised, one lopsided smile on her lips.

"Carter?"

"General?"

"You gonna give a guy a tour, or what?"

The smile on her face grew, and she took a step forwards. "Thought you'd never ask..."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I marked this as complete as I thought I'd finished it. Turns out I hadn't... damn muse... As of chaper 8, is it now though. Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

They decided to keep things quiet, although from the look on everyone's faces they knew Jack hadn't simply arrived for official purposes. Sam let them ponder and neither confirmed nor denied.

Only Jennifer knew. The look on her face was practically priceless when Jack walked into the infirmary and asked for a check up. Sam's first scan was booked in for midnight that very same day. Both of them felt much more relaxed with the thought of a skeleton crew wandering the halls at night, as opposed to the day shift when anyone could work out what was happening.

The gel was cold on her stomach and Sam felt goose bumps trickle over her body. Jack simply reached for her hand and held it tight. He watched as a series of goose bumps trickled up his own arm seconds later.

The infirmary was silent, except for the doctor's babble and the pulsing sound of a muffled heart beat. Both Sam and Jack stood in awe in front of the video screen.

"Can you tell what sex it is?" Jack managed to squeak out.

Sam's head whipped round so fast that she almost gave herself whiplash. She stared into Jack's eyes. "You want to know?" She whispered.

"Do you?"

Sam's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. Jack simply smiled as he realised he was beginning to adore that expression already...

"It's too early to tell," Jennifer explained, causing both parents to turn back to the screen again. "But everything looks good... healthy! I'll print off a picture and then we're done."

An hour later and Jack and Sam were lying in bed still staring at the picture.

"Well, if you tilt is this way..." Jack angled the photograph and squinted in the low light.

Sam let out a small laugh and burrowed further into his side. "Somehow I don't think it's a boy, Jack..."

"You think it's a girl?" He asked, surprise evident in his voice.

Sam merely smiled, then followed it with a shrug."Honestly, I don't know... But let's just call it a hunch..."

"We can't call the kid 'hunch', Sam..."

Sam rolled her eyes, "Oh brother!"


	8. Chapter 8

Just over a month later and Sam was back on Earth. A run-in with the Wraith, a few injured personnel and an internal investigation had left Sam, not surprisingly, stressed. Doctor Keller had prescribed her some time off, the IOA considerably longer. Sam didn't put up a fight when they suggested that maybe she shouldn't go back. Within a few days she was resting at the cabin, a few guests in tow.

Sam could hear Daniel and Vala arguing in the kitchen and glanced at Jack beside her, a knowing smile on her lips.

"How about Minnesota?" Jack asked, ignoring the flirting couple indoors.

Sam frowned, "We're in Minnesota..."

"I meant," He shrugged and waved a hand in the air, "You know, like the Beckham's did..."

"The Beckhams?"

"Sometimes I forget you were in another galaxy..." Jack muttered under his breath.

"I know who they are, Jack." Sam glared at him briefly, before furrowing her brow. "Besides," she turned in her deckchair, "What makes you think it was Minnesota?"

Jack shrugged, "This is the one place we generally get to spend time together."

"If I remember correctly, the last time I was on Earth before we found out, I came to Washington..." She offered him a smile.

"We're not calling it Washington!"

Sam whacked him lightly on the arm, "Like Minnesota is much better?!"

"George?" He asked.

"How about Georgia?"

Jack frowned. "We've never been to Georgia... not together anyway...."

"Well, there's always Colorado..."

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't Colorado..." Jack replied. He watched as Sam raised an eyebrow. "What?!"

"Supply closet, Level 22?"

Footsteps echoed on the deck and both looked up as Daniel and Cameron tumbled out with bottles in their hands. "What's this about level 22?"

"Daniel..."

"Jack..."

Sam and Jack instantly turned to look at each other.

Sam shook her head, "We agreed - no one we know, remember?"

"You suggested George..."

"I think you'll find that was you."

"Really?"

Sam sighed and shook her head. She shook it again when Cam offered her a beer as he and Daniel sat down opposite. "I thought you liked Bud?" Cam asked.

"No," Sam turned to Jack, unable to stop a laugh from escaping when she saw the look on his face.

"What's going on?" Daniel asked, glancing between the two.

Sam simply sighed as she got up and disappeared into the cabin. Seconds later she re-emerged, a book in her hands. She plonked it into Jack's lap, before settling back into her own chair.

"What's that?" Daniel asked. Of course, any book would grab his attention.

Jack looked down at the title and grinned. "A gift from Doctor Keller," Sam stated, her eyes firmly glued to Jack's. Within seconds she held a grin to match his.

A chuckle escaped Jack's lips and he raised it up for the guys to see, just as Vala and Teal'c emerged from indoors.

"What's this?" Vala asked, as she watched the scene unfold.

Daniel squinted behind his glasses, "Book...of...baby...names...."

Sam watched the birds fly away in droves as Vala shrieked and everyone jumped up from their seats. A few minutes later she found a huge grin on her face, her body enveloped in Jack's arms as he attempted to shield her from everyone's tight embrace.

"When'd you find out?" Daniel asked.

Sam paused, "On Atlantis," She said, before randomly adding, "I touched something I shouldn't..."

"You're telling me!" Cam quipped, seemingly under his breath.

But his voice wasn't quiet enough and everyone turned to stare at him as Sam blushed bright red. A sudden burst of laughter fell out of Daniel's mouth and soon everyone had joined in. Jack merely protested a little too much and pulled Sam closer.

She suddenly found herself very glad she'd broken rule number two after all.


End file.
